a. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates generally to telecommunication services that are provided through an institutional phone system, such as the phone system in a correctional institution. In particular, the instant invention relates to a system and method for managing and monitoring free phone calls placed through an institutional phone system.
b. Background Art
In the correctional industry, inmate phone calls are often controlled through sophisticated call processing equipment. The call processing equipment controls various aspects of the use of the telephone in order to meet a variety of competing concerns including security, accessibility, and revenue generation. One objective of an inmate telephone system is to maximize the security of the system and to also maximize the revenue produced by the system while providing the inmate with accessibility to reasonable telecommunication services as authorized by the institution.
One feature that inmate phone systems may provide is the ability to maintain lists of allowed or blocked phone numbers by inmate, by class of inmate, or globally for a facility. Such lists allow the institution to regulate who an inmate can and cannot call. As an example of a list applied to a specific inmate, an inmate may be allowed to call his wife, but may not be allowed to call a co-defendant. As an example of a global list, all inmates may be allowed to call the local public defender's office, but may be disallowed from calling local judges. This feature balances the concern for security (e.g., disallowing calls to victims, witnesses and judges) with the concern of allowing an inmate with accessibility for legally mandated purposes (e.g., calls to the public defender) or personal reasons (e.g., calls to family members).
Another feature that an inmate telephone system may provide is the ability to monitor and record calls. This feature addresses the security concerns of the facility by allowing internal investigators to monitor what is occurring inside the institution and among the inmate population. This feature address the security concerns of society generally by allowing external investigators access to phone conversations that relate to the investigation of activities external to the institution.
Another feature that an inmate telephone system may provide is the recording and retrieval of call detail information (e.g., the identity of the caller, the called party, the time of the call, and the like). This feature is important to addressing the concerns of security and revenue. Call detail records allow investigators to research data such as the inmate that placed the call, the phone number that was dialed, what time the call was placed, and how long the conversation lasted. This research can often be performed by call, by inmate, by called number, by time of call and by any combination thereof. Investigators can analyze this data to determine patterns and connections between people and places that are relevant to internal and external investigations. Call detail records are also the fundamental data required for billing calls and managing revenue.
Another feature that an inmate telephone system may provide is the ability to alert and/or notify an investigator of a call of interest. This feature allows an investigator to be notified when a specific inmate makes a phone call, when a specific phone number is dialed, or a combination thereof. This feature addresses the both internal and external security needs by immediately alerting an investigator when a person or pattern of interest is identified and allowing the investigator to immediately monitor the call, review the call details, review the call recording, or any combination thereof, for example to gather intelligence.
A function of substantially all inmate phone systems is to enable the billing of phone calls. Inmate telephone systems provide different methods for inmates to place and pay for calls. For example, call payment options may include collect calling (wherein the called party pays for the call), debit calling (wherein the inmate pays for the call with funds from their commissary account), pre-paid calling cards, and pre-paid accounts associated with a called number.